Super Eagles captain, Wilfred Ndidi, has pledged to cover the unpaid match bonuses of his teammates and officials at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Morocco, should the Federal Government failed to release the payments before Saturday’s quarter-final clash against Algeria.
This was disclosed via an X post on Thursday by BBC journalist Oluwashina Okeleji, revealing that Ndidi has been urging the squad to stay focused despite the ongoing payment delays.
“I’ve been pushing the team to train and play the game vs Algeria. I’ve been doing this since the second game. I’ve now made a commitment to the staff and players that I’ll personally pay the bonuses if the authorities fail to before Saturday,” Ndidi said.
“I don’t want these unpaid bonuses to affect our preparations. I told players and coaching staff that I’d personally make the payments if they don’t get it,” he added.
The Super Eagles camp had been unsettled by reports suggesting players and officials were considering boycotting Thursday’s travel to Marrakech and training sessions, citing unpaid bonuses for their three group stage matches and the round of 16 fixture.
In response, the Office of the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, provided an update on Thursday regarding the status of the payments. She confirmed that bonuses for the group stage have already been released and cleared all necessary regulatory hurdles, assuring that future payments would no longer face such delays.
“The Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria have successfully streamlined the foreign exchange processing to ensure our players are rewarded without further delay.
“Going forward, the process will be fully streamlined to ensure faster, more predictable disbursements aligned with international best practice. All group stage bonuses were fully released and have now cleared the necessary regulatory stages,” the minister stated on X.
Uzoka-Anite also highlighted improvements in the payment process, aimed at facilitating transfers in the players’ preferred currencies.
“We have implemented a fast-track conversion process to move funds into foreign currency, honouring the players’ preferences. The final transfers to domiciliary accounts are currently in flight. Players can expect these funds to reflect starting today (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday),” she added.
Ndidi and the rest of the squad arrived in Marrakech on Thursday, where they held a training session ahead of their high-stakes clash against Algeria.
